China has released a technical roadmap that embeds artificial intelligence across the full lifecycle of advanced nuclear energy systems, from design to maintenance. The plan was unveiled at the 2026 World AI Conference in Shanghai by the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It targets the challenge of deploying AI in safety-critical nuclear environments by combining data, physics models, and expert knowledge into a five-layer architecture. The system, called ADANES (Accelerator-Driven Advanced Nuclear Energy System), operates in subcritical mode to improve safety while integrating fuel breeding, waste transmutation, and power generation. An alliance of research institutes, nuclear firms, AI companies, and financiers was also launched to push these technologies toward commercial deployment. The initiative highlights how AI could help make nuclear power a more flexible and reliable zero-carbon energy source for the grid.
